| A way out of office politics | ||||||||||||
| It was a typical lunch hour for me. I was eating in an empty office at my workplace, feeling restless and unhappy about going back to my desk. This position that had at one time offered challenging new opportunities had quickly degenerated into a quagmire of office politics, gossip, and personal agendas. And my paychecks weren’t substantial enough to cover the basic cost of living expenses. I wanted out, but had no idea where to go. On top of it all, I was developing the symptoms of a cold. That week, I attended a Christian Science lecture about security. One point that stuck with me after that lecture was, “worrying is ingratitude in advance.” I realized that over that past year, I’d spent so much time worrying about what other people in my office thought of me, worrying about making ends meet, worrying about what I’d make each night for dinner, that I hadn’t spent much time thanking God for blessing me with my job in the first place! After all, it did provide a consistent income, and my supervisor had supported me on more than one occasion as I attempted to navigate what I then saw as a toxic office environment. As I began to reevaluate my attitude, I found this dynamite idea in Mary Baker Eddy’s textbook on Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “Action expresses more gratitude than speech.” This made so much sense to me—grateful living required more than just words, it required humility and patience. It quickly became my spiritual focus. Right away I vowed to stop worrying and start thinking and, most importantly, acting grateful.
This started with a thought shift about my job. Still struggling with the symptoms of that cold, I realized that I’d complained about the frustrations of my job to anyone who would listen. In fact, I’d mention to friends how I had a hard time liking or even respecting some of my co-workers. People’s daily questions were deemed “ridiculous,” “unnecessary,” even “stupid” by me. I realized how harshly I’d judged people who were simply trying to do their jobs. Spending some time praying about love and gratitude after work helped. In the Bible, Jesus counsels his followers to take to heart the two most important commandments—to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. It made sense to consider this guidance. Right then, I resolved to let go of my job frustrations and humbly thank God for this direction. So at work that next day, I greeted people in my office in a friendly manner and answered each phone call with a smile on my face. Frustration was replaced with a commitment to patience. By the end of the afternoon, it wasn’t surprising to me that the cold symptoms vanished completely.
The second step I took in practicing gratitude was making time each day for quiet prayer. In the next few weeks, I turned my lunch hour into 60 minutes of devoted study of the Christian Science Bible Lesson. I began to notice how frequently God’s goodness and blessings were praised in passages from the Bible—even in the face of adversity much worse than what I’d ever experienced at my office. Finding new qualities to think about from each week’s Bible lesson became a daily routine. For instance, I learned that meekness does not mean the same thing as timidity; integrity lines the path for moral and ethical living and working; and harmony is a natural expectation in life. But best of all, God is responsible for all of this. Not me. God had a plan, and I needed to be quiet enough to pay attention to the angel messages He was giving me. Suddenly, things started happening that were clearly a result of prayer, since I certainly couldn’t have planned them. The first came one day when I found two unexpected insurance premium refund checks in the mail, which helped pay the bills. The second came when one of the vice presidents at work personally apologized to me for the way I’d been treated by some colleagues. She explained that she neglected to double check information that was given to her, and that she was wrong in her prior assumptions about my work performance.
The third followed an outstanding professional development seminar at work. After the seminar, I felt motivated to call an old supervisor from a job I had left nearly three years prior, in order to thank her for all she’d done for me. During that call, she asked if I would consider rejoining the company! They were planning a reorganization and there would be a position opening in which I could telecommute from my own home. And this job came complete with a pay raise that would give me financial stability. With tears in my eyes, I thanked her for the opportunity and accepted the job offer. Throughout this time, I’d learned so much about the importance of both gratitude and faith. Jesus said that if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will have the strength to move mountains. While I didn’t literally rearrange any geography, mountains that were blocking my thinking from forward progress had been moved through prayer. Being grateful for God’s blessings, I’ve found, is the first step to healing. And standing in awe of what He provides for us doesn’t hurt either. Anjuli Graunke lives in Winona, Minnesota, United States. |
Way out of office politics...
Aisha (Finance Professional) (8099 Points)
19 May 2008
CAclubindia
